﻿MUSSELS 
  OF 
  CENTEAL 
  AND 
  XOETHERN 
  MINNESOTA. 
  19 
  

  

  articles 
  in 
  the 
  window 
  of 
  this 
  jewelry 
  store, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  stated 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity. 
  We 
  saw 
  several 
  piles 
  of 
  shells 
  that 
  

   had 
  been 
  recently 
  made 
  by 
  pearlers 
  along 
  the 
  stretch 
  of 
  river 
  above 
  

   Bemidji, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  find 
  them 
  anywhere 
  else 
  in 
  tiiis 
  drainage. 
  Evi- 
  

   dently 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  little 
  search 
  for 
  pearls 
  anywhere 
  mthin 
  

   this 
  entire 
  drainage. 
  

  

  PROPAGATIOX. 
  

  

  The 
  conditions 
  in 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  lakes 
  and 
  rivers 
  of 
  this 
  group 
  are 
  

   excellent 
  for 
  propagation 
  purposes. 
  The 
  water 
  everywhere 
  is 
  clear 
  

   and 
  contains 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  lime 
  ; 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  almost 
  universally 
  

   composed 
  of 
  hard 
  sand 
  and 
  gravel; 
  there 
  is 
  nowhere 
  any 
  surfeit 
  of 
  

   algae 
  or 
  aquatic 
  vegetation, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  apparently 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  

   food. 
  

  

  At 
  Leech 
  Lake, 
  which, 
  next 
  to 
  Red 
  Lake, 
  is 
  the 
  largest 
  body 
  of 
  

   fresh 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  State, 
  the 
  outlet 
  is 
  muddy 
  and 
  full 
  of 
  weeds, 
  and 
  

   is 
  reported 
  to 
  contain 
  nothing 
  but 
  very 
  thin-shelled 
  floaters 
  or 
  paper 
  

   shells. 
  But 
  the 
  lake 
  itself 
  presents 
  ideal 
  conditions, 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  

   river 
  which 
  runs 
  into 
  it 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  shore 
  out 
  of 
  Lake 
  Linda 
  is 
  reported 
  

   by 
  a 
  mussel 
  fisherman 
  to 
  be 
  full 
  of 
  thick 
  shells 
  for 
  the 
  mile 
  of 
  its 
  

   course. 
  The 
  same 
  fisherman 
  said 
  that 
  Little 
  Bay 
  River, 
  which 
  

   enters 
  the 
  lake 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  shore, 
  contains 
  no 
  commercial 
  mussels 
  

   from 
  Leech 
  Lake 
  up 
  to 
  Laura 
  Lake, 
  but 
  from 
  there 
  up 
  to 
  Little 
  

   Bay 
  Lake 
  is 
  full 
  of 
  them. 
  

  

  Lake 
  Winnibigoshish 
  was 
  formerly 
  a 
  shallow 
  mud 
  lake, 
  but 
  its 
  

   surface 
  was 
  raised 
  14 
  feet 
  by 
  a 
  dam 
  across 
  the 
  outlet. 
  It 
  would 
  

   furnish 
  a 
  favorable 
  locality 
  for 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  the 
  three-ridge, 
  

   blue-point, 
  washboard, 
  and 
  similar 
  mud-loving 
  species. 
  

  

  Cass 
  Lake, 
  Long 
  Lake, 
  and 
  Wolf 
  Lake 
  are 
  also 
  very 
  favorably 
  

   situated, 
  and 
  all 
  three, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  intervening 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  

   Mississippi 
  River 
  which 
  connects 
  them, 
  contain 
  good 
  bottom 
  mate- 
  

   rial. 
  The 
  conditions 
  here 
  are 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  Snake 
  River 
  

   in 
  the 
  St. 
  Croix 
  drainage, 
  and 
  would 
  be 
  particularly 
  well 
  suited 
  

   to 
  the 
  thick-shelled 
  fat 
  muckets. 
  

  

  The 
  IVIississippi 
  flows 
  through 
  Lake 
  Bemidji 
  and 
  Irving 
  Lake 
  to 
  

   Beltrami 
  County, 
  and 
  here 
  again 
  the 
  conditions 
  appear 
  very 
  pro- 
  

   pitious 
  for 
  the 
  propagation 
  of 
  the 
  fat 
  muckets. 
  

  

  At 
  Pokegama 
  Lake 
  in 
  Itasca 
  County 
  there 
  are 
  long 
  stretches 
  of 
  

   sandy 
  beaches 
  and 
  numerous 
  sand 
  bars, 
  which, 
  combined 
  with 
  

   something 
  of 
  a 
  current 
  flomng 
  through 
  the 
  lake, 
  would 
  favor 
  the 
  

   introduction 
  of 
  the 
  yellow 
  or 
  slough 
  sand-shells. 
  This 
  lake 
  is 
  14 
  

   miles 
  in 
  length, 
  but 
  is 
  quite 
  narrow, 
  and 
  is 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  a 
  succession 
  

   of 
  long 
  arms 
  and 
  bays 
  surrounded 
  by 
  fairly 
  high 
  land. 
  A 
  dam 
  was 
  

   placed 
  across 
  the 
  outlet 
  about 
  8 
  years 
  ago, 
  which 
  raised 
  the 
  water 
  

   in 
  the 
  lake 
  10 
  feet, 
  and 
  which 
  effectually 
  prevents 
  any 
  fish 
  from 
  

   entering 
  the 
  lake 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  River. 
  

  

  